


Fresh Pigment

by LakeTrees



Category: Critical Role (Web Series) RPF
Genre: Implied Sexual Content, Kink Negotiation, Lipstick & Lip Gloss, M/M, brief Sam/Laura if you wish to view it that way
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-02
Updated: 2019-03-02
Packaged: 2019-11-07 21:56:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,716
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17968775
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LakeTrees/pseuds/LakeTrees
Summary: Sam wears lipstick. Liam likes it. It's not complicated, but that doesn't mean a bit of conversation isn't required.





	Fresh Pigment

**Author's Note:**

> A story spawned from a simple realization that yes, Sam would look rather fetching in lipstick. Though the piece somehow became more about the two of them talking than making out which is, I hope, still satisfying to some. I did waste time picking out a few lipsticks to ~~procrastinate~~ give myself proper visuals while writing so all names/colors included are real Sephora colors.

“I can't find shit in this bag!” 

A clattering of plastics and metal followed as Laura up ended her purse on the table. She began to shift through the spilled contents, putting things back one by one as she grumbled various curses under her breath.

“What exactly are you looking for?” Sam peeked over her shoulder, eyebrow arched.

“I need my stupid lipstick. I know I put it in here when I left my hotel room. I can't go out for the panel with mine all smudged and patchy.” She continued to root through her belongings while Sam took a moment to move closer and study her face. 

“You look as beautiful as ever to me, my dear Laura.”

She cut her eyes at him for a moment, death stare lessened by the upturn of her mouth. “Shut up, Sam.”

He laughed. “Sure.” It was then that he spotted a metal tube down at the foot of the table, along with a few stray receipts and a hair tie. He scooped all of them up, offering them over to her. “This it?”

“Yes! Thank you.” 

She quickly stuffed the rest of her things back in the purse and tossed it aside again, moving over to the wall mirror that hung in their temporary dressing room slash green room. Sam propped himself against the edge of the table and folded his arms across his chest, watching her as she popped the cap and pursed her lips. She ran the lipstick along her top lip before catching his eye in the mirror, expression morphing into a smile. “What?”

“Nothing. Just watching.”

“Uh huh.” She looked back at her reflection, words slightly distorted as she stretched out her lips and worked on the bottom. “We all know how much you love to watch.”

“Guilty.” His grin widened as he moved, coming to stand next to her again. She straightened, giving her lips a few pats together before turning toward him.

“Well?”

“Looks great.”

“Good.” She held out her hand. “Gimme a finger.”

Sam let out a sudden laugh, eyebrows scrunching. “A what? Why?”

Impatient, Laura wiggled her outstretched fingers. “Just gimme.”

“I'm frightened, but alright.” Sam did as requested, offering over his pointer. She took it in hand and, much to his surprise, stuck it straight in her mouth, lips molding around it in an exaggerated O. Then she quickly pulled it out with a muted pop. “Wow. Okay.”

“Don't want lipstick on my teeth.” She grinned, expression wide to show off her still pristine smile. “Thanks.”

Sam studied his finger, now slightly smudged with waxy flecks of color and vaguely damp. “I don't know if I'm turned on or disgusted.” 

The cackle Laura gave in response sounded like she was pleased by that result.

He rubbed his finger, though it didn't really help. “Not really sure this is my color.” A swipe across his jeans did little to get rid of the lipstick either, so he gave up. Attention turning back to Laura, he realized she was staring at him intently. “What? Something in _my_ teeth?”

“No. Just looking.” She held up the still open lipstick next to his face. “I think this might be just your color, actually.” Her eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

“Oh no.”

Her lips curled into a smile. “Oh yes.”

“Laura Bailey, stop thinking, right now.”

“Sam Riegel,” her voice came out sweetly, “pucker up.”

“We have to go out on a stage in like, 20 minutes.” Though he was protesting with his words, he didn’t stop her when she stepped closer and steadied his head in her grip.

“You have gone out on stage in _way_ worse Sam.” She held the tube, poised for action and vaguely threatening, but didn’t make a move yet. “Trust me. You have a mouth that was made for this.”

“Strangely enough you aren’t the first pe-”

Laura gave his face a squeeze, cutting off the rest of his sentence. “I just want to see what you look like. We can take it off right after. Please?” 

It was near impossible to say no to that, but Sam let out a sigh as if he was feeling put upon for the sake of appearances. “Alright. Apply carefully, I don't want any in my beard.”

“Like I'm that amateur. Don't press your lips together, relax.”

Sam did his best to as Laura began her work. It was far from the first time he'd had makeup put on, but it had always been of the ridiculous “I'm here to embarrass myself” variety. And having her applying it was certainly a different experience. It was hard not to go a little cross eyed watching Laura while she worked, but he did his best.

It didn't take long before she was stepping back and assessing her efforts. “Wow.”

“Wow? What is wow, what does that mean?” 

“I was mostly kidding about it being your color, but… you actually look pretty good.”

“I can't believe you would lie to me about something for the sake of a joke.” Half hesitant, Sam looked in the mirror to see for himself. Technically she had done a perfect application, but he wasn't sure about the actual look of it. “You really think it looks good? The whole, you know, big grey beard thing doesn't ruin it?”

“No way.” Laura reached over, giving the beard on his chin a quick scratch with her thumb. “If anything I think it makes it look better.”

“Good enough to kiss?”

“Ha! And mess up _my_ lipstick? I don't think so, bunny.”

“What are you two clowns up to in here?” Travis’ voice rang out over the sound of the door opening and closing as he came into the dressing room. An eyebrow raised as he took notice of the makeup.

“Playing dress up.” Laura smiled, gesturing with both hands to Sam's face like a game show assistant showing off a prize. “Doesn't he look dashing Travis? Tell him he looks dashing.”

“Hm.” Travis kept his expression deeply unimpressed. “Looks alright.”

“Oh,” she rolled her eyes. “Don't listen, he's only jealous. You pull it off Sam, promise.”

Sam laughed, still not completely convinced. “Sure. Thank you Laura. Can I take it off now?”

“Picture first. Then yes, you may.”

Sam consented to two pieces of photographic documentation; one solo picture and one with her, featuring exaggerated kissy faces, which Laura decided to post to her instagram. Sam had posted way more embarrassing photos of himself before so he wasn't bothered. 

Mid-argument over which filter looked best, the rest of the crew trickled in to the room, coming in from a successful trip to the convention's dealer room if all the bags they piled in with was any indication. Perhaps unsurprisingly Liam was the first one to zero in on the new look, eyebrows shooting up above the rim of his glasses as he looked at Sam.

“What is _that_?” He glanced from Sam to Laura and back to Sam. “Are you two wearing matching lipstick?”

“We are!” Laura slung her arm around Sam's shoulders and brought their faces together, cheek to cheek, as best she could. “How do we look? The new twins. Jealous?”

Sam widened his eyes, batting them exaggeratedly while Laura did her best pout. The rest laughed at their antics, save for Liam who still had his eyes firmly glued to Sam; face turning to a noticeable shade of pink.

“You look… nice.” The compliment came out quiet and tight, like someone had forced it out of him. Behind him Travis choked back a laugh.

Interesting. Sam filed away that reaction away in his mind.

Laura, ever keen to take advantage of a moment, turned to Sam with a cheshire grin. “I think we need one more picture before you take that off.”

“Oh?”

And that was how the next picture Laura posted before they were whisked away to the panel stage was Travis and Liam side by side, obvious lipstick marks on their cheeks. After, Sam had just enough time to hastily scrub the lipstick off as best he could. Some stubborn pigment lingered, leaving his lips still lightly tinted. 

Sam and Liam didn’t sit next to each other - which Sam jokingly berated Brian for before the panel started - but he didn’t miss the way Liam kept glancing over to him and watching his mouth any time he answered a question.

\----------

Liam couldn't believe he was doing this. He'd done stupider things, surely. More embarrassing ones, no doubt. There wasn't even anyone he knew around to see his foolishness - though Critters truly were everywhere, he couldn't forget. As he stared at yet another product and pretended like he knew what he was looking for he reminded himself that his anxiety was all in his head. And since mind reading was not a thing as far as he knew, his reasons for being here were safe.

“Can I help you find something?”

The pleasantly smiling store clerk at least seemed to sense how out of his depth he was. Several minutes of shuffling from one display to the next probably gave it away; that and the fact that he was clearly a middle aged dad wearing a D&D shirt in a beauty supply store.

“Uh, yeah! That'd be great. I'm trying to pick out some lip colors. Not for me!” He held up his hands slightly and made a face at the very idea, though the girl looked unbothered by it. “It's a gift for… my wife.”

The truth, he'd already decided, was too personal to explain to a stranger. Though as he began answering questions about things like skin tone and hair color, he wondered if leaving out the whole beard thing would throw the suggestions off. He'd have to hope not. 

The rest of the process was mostly painless thanks to the help. He realized that there were about a hundred shades and styles that all looked the same to his highly untrained eye, and maybe the worker helping him was full of shit and he was too stupid to know the difference, but he left feeling good about the array he'd picked. And with his wallet metaphorically lighter than he had anticipated. He’d gone in only planning on picking out _one_ , just to test the waters.

Now he had to work up the nerve to do something with all that lipstick.

The chance didn't come for some time, more due to life getting in the way than a lack of balls. Getting a full evening alone was rare, and this was something Liam decided he didn't want to waste on only an hour or so of stolen free time. So when the house emptied out one weekend leaving only him behind he jumped at his chance and invited Sam over for dinner.

He tried his best to hint that it would, perhaps, be a long evening without giving anything away or building up too much expectation. And without giving Sam a chance to ask too many nosy questions. 

After dinner, they found themselves relaxing on the sofa, wine in hand, chatting about nothing in particular. Liam had laid back and stretched his legs out over Sam’s lap and felt pleasantly content. So much so that part of him was firmly against moving from this spot for the rest of the night, even for a bit of fun - quiet time like this was to be cherished. But as he found his mind wandering into thoughts of how the particular shade of red of their wine might look on Sam, he decided to make his move.

“I have a surprise for you.”

“Oh?” 

“I won’t call it a gift, since I’m not actually sure you’ll like it.” He idly rocked his glass, focusing his gaze on the swirl of the liquid inside. “But I’ve had it for a little while, just needed to wait until the right time.”

Sam laughed lightly, letting the base of his glass knock against Liam’s knee. “I’m intrigued. Alright. Should I try and guess what it is? Do I get any hints?”

For a moment Liam considered it, but the building flutter of nerves under his skin demanded some kind of action. “Nah.” Taking a final sip of liquid courage, he swung his legs off of Sam and stood, sitting his glass aside. “Easier just to show you. I’ll go get it and meet you in my office.” Without waiting to see what Sam’s reaction might be to that he headed off.

He couldn’t deny that he hoped he would be getting a little _something_ out of this in the end, and such things were not meant for a sofa in the family room. But a bedroom seemed like too much pressure when he wasn’t sure if Sam would be into the idea. So, a compromise. The office. 

He really did worry too much.

Digging the little pouch he had put all of the lipstick in out of a dresser drawer he made his way down the hall. Sam was already looking quite comfortable on the couch, sans wine, and not for the first time in their long friendship Liam was envious of how relaxed the man could be under any circumstance.

Sitting on the opposite end, Liam quickly offered over the pouch and Sam took it, expression clearly curious at the clattering noises that came from inside it as the lipstick cases knocked against each other. He didn’t open it yet, waiting on an explanation. 

“This is a selfish sort of surprise, I’ll admit. I got it because I was…. interested, and if you aren’t that’s fine. No pressure. I can still return them, I think. It’s - “ he paused, gesturing to the bag, “just open it, it’s self explanatory.”

“That’s a lot of worry over such a small bag.” Sam eyed him, a little too carefully, and Liam did his best not to squirm. He knew he was an open book but he didn’t like being reminded of it, even if Sam was doing it for good reasons. But he said nothing else and turned his focus to undoing the drawstring on the pouch. 

Opening it up Sam reached in without stopping to look inside, right away pulling out a brown tube decorated with a photo of a pile of cookies. Liam inwardly rolled his eyes, because of course, he had to pull out the most ridiculously decorated one first. There was no visible outside reaction to the reveal; he simply turned the case over to read the name on the bottom.

“Yum Yum.” He grinned, his voice taking on a decidedly amused tint. “Okay, the cookies make sense then.” With a pop he took the cap off, revealing a slightly brown shaded lipstick. “That’s nice.”

“Yeah. Though it’s my least favorite of all of them, I think.”

“Hm.” Sam capped the lipstick again and returned it to the bag. His focus settled back on Liam. “So these are for me?”

“Obviously. So if you could tell me what you think about that before my palms start sweating I would appreciate it.”

The amusement that had been on his face softened into something a bit more fond. “I noticed that you seemed _interested_ back when Laura made me wear that stuff, but I admit I didn’t think it was enough to do this.”

“Well. It was.” Liam shrugged. “I never would have expected it either but you looked….you looked super fucking hot. I couldn’t stop thinking about it.” He cleared his throat a little. “So I endured the help of a well meaning twenty something to buy these.”

“That’s true dedication. I’m very touched.” Turning the bag over Sam let all the lipstick, 4 total, roll out onto the cushions between them. He picked another up and opened it, this one a brighter shade of red. “If it makes you happy, or horny, I will gladly wear one of these. You should know by now I’m up for most things. It’s also a bonus if it makes you say things about how hot I look.”

“It’s not weird?”

Sam glanced up, making sure he caught Liam’s eye before speaking. “No. Not at all.” Moving to the next color, this one a more muted berry red, Sam laughed a little. “Really, I think on a list of weird kinky sex things, lipstick wouldn’t even be in the top 100. So, which one should I wear first?”

He moved to the last tube, this one wrapped in a picture of $100 bills. Before Liam could stop him he opened it, a loud laugh-tinted _oh jesus_ following as a very dark green lipstick was revealed. 

“Not that one. That’s for Nott.” Liam tried to keep his face neutral. He had debated on buying what was essentially a gag gift, but it had been too hard to pass up. The woman helping him had, nicely, questioned the wisdom of the choice but thankfully didn't say much else about it. 

Sam let out a near giggle. “That’s very considerate of you, I’m sure she’ll love it. You do realize I will actually wear this one day, right? And tell everyone it came from you.”

“I’d be disappointed if you didn’t. But ah, as to your question…” Liam looked over the other three choices, pretending as though he hadn’t already spent more time than he should debating between them and which he wanted to try first. After enough of a ruse he followed his gut and picked up the most traditionally red of the bunch. “I like this one, I think.”

Sam took it and turned it over to see what the name of this one was. “A Little Magic. I like that, very fitting. Should I leave and come back wearing it for a dramatic reveal?”

Liam laughed, thankful as always for Sam’s levity. “That would be very you. But not necessary this time, I think. Uh, since there’s no mirror, I can-” Liam moved to take it from him, but Sam pulled his hand away.

“Ah, ah. Unless that’s what you want?” Sam questioned, wanting to follow along with whatever would please Liam most, but he only shrugged. “Alright. Then we can get a little help from technology.”

He took out his phone and Liam watched as he turned on the front facing camera before holding it up before him. He positioned it out far enough away and at an angle that wouldn’t block Liam’s view, which he was thankful for, his attentions laser focused as Sam began to apply the lipstick. He hadn’t expected this part to get under his skin as much as the final look had - had spent all his imagination on the after picture and none on the getting there - but now, watching Sam swiping the color over his lips, jaw loose and mouth half open as he concentrated on the task, he could already feel his blood start to rise.

Too quickly it was done, and Sam let the phone down. “How does it look? Any smudges?”

He must have been well aware that there weren’t, but Liam appreciated the indulgence and decided there was no point in playing shy. He lightly grabbed Sam’s jaw, giving it a slow short move from side to side as he took his time appreciating how he looked. Thankfully the shade suited him perfectly. Not too bright, just enough to stand out against the salt and pepper of his beard. 

The desire to kiss him, or maybe to smudge it all with his fingers, swirled in his thoughts. But he told himself to be patient and not ruin a good thing too quickly.

“Looks good, babe. You’re a natural.”

“Is it as nice as you were hoping it would be?” 

Liam smiled, not for the first time more than a little touched at the way Sam always checked in with him. And now he could hear a hint of nervous curiosity in the question. “Better, actually.” He ran his thumb along the line of his jaw slowly, let his voice drop a bit lower; softer. “You look perfect.”

It was a dangerous thing, feeding Sam Riegel's ego. But to see the spark it put in his eye and the curl of a smirk on his mouth - well, worth it. 

Sam took Liam's hand, tangling their fingers together as he gently moved it from his face. “I think, if you were not similarly bearded, this would be the part where I covered you in obscene red lipstick marks that you'd still be able to see tomorrow morning.”

A shiver went up his spine at the thought, and Liam held Sam's hand just a little tighter, trying to keep up a casual veneer as he spoke. “And since that option is off the table?”

“I have a backup plan or two.”

It really wasn't fair that Sam could look so damn good as he slid off the sofa and onto his knees on the floor, slipping himself in between Liam's legs. And it definitely wasn't fair that he had been given a mouth which was so supremely talented in just about everything. But after all the fun was done and Liam was curled up with him on the cushions, relaxed and warm nestled in his arms, he didn’t feel like complaining about the unfairness of the universe. This time.

\----------

_(_ Liam had been prepared to one day see the ridiculous green lipstick outside the privacy of closed doors. Likely paired with an equally ridiculous outfit that would further smother any inconvenient attraction he might otherwise feel. What he had _not_ prepared for was Sam pulling out one of the more normal colors live on air, one he hadn't even seen on him before, and applying it for the sake of one of his stupid ads. Liam didn't even know what the bit was, too busy trying to survive through a wash of horror, amusement, and arousal as Sam went through it. And too busy trying not to notice the way Laura kept looking over at him with an expression that was a little too smug for comfort.

He did, at least, get another kiss mark to add to his slowly growing collection, which he wore on his cheek for the rest of the episode. _)_


End file.
